A series
of acid-activated palygorskite (PAL)-supported metal halides
catalysts were synthesized and applied to remove trace olefins from
aromatic hydrocarbons. The structural properties and surface acidity
of acid-activated PAL were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD),
N2 adsorption/desorption, and NH3-TPD. According
to experimental results, the optimum metal halide was CoCl2, and its loading content was 7 wt % with an olefin conversion of
92.1%. Furthermore, the 10%CoCl2/PAL-B21 catalyst before
and after the olefin removal reaction was characterized by XRD, FE-SEM,
FTIR, N2 adsorption/desorption, NH3-TPD, and
XPS. The BET surface area (S
BET) of PAL-B21
decreased by 129 m2/g after modification by 10%CoCl2. It was indicated that the interaction between CoCl2 and PAL-B21, the textural properties, and the surface acid sites
are all important for the adsorption and conversion of olefins from
reforming aromatic hydrocarbons by an alkylation reaction. The low
cost, high olefin conversion, and good stability of the CoCl2-modified PAL-B21 catalyst provide industrial application potential
for olefin removal from reforming aromatic hydrocarbons.